From dfledfoundation-announce at communityforum.net Sat May 3 11:15:22 2008 From: dfledfoundation-announce at communityforum.net (dfledfoundation-announce@communityforum.net) Date: Sun May 4 08:48:47 2008 Subject: [DFLEF] Great Topic: May 10 Stone Arch Discussion Group with Ted Marmor Message-ID: Stone Arch Discussion Group Saturday, May 10 from 8 to 9:30 AM at Jitters 205 E. Hennepin Hazards in Health Care Policy Creation Presentation by Ted Marmor Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Management Yale University on his book Fads, Fallacies and Foolishness in Medical Care Management and Policy Ted Marmor will discuss the health care issues addressed in his book, Fads, Fallacies and Foolishness in Medical Care Management and Policy, especially his concern about seeking solely managerial solutions to a social and economic problem as extensive as our current health care system dysfunction. In a recent op ed piece in the Philly News, 3/24/08, he expressed his support for Pennsylvania?s Governor Rendell?s approach to health care reform which includes health insurance for all and significant regulatory limits on underwriting, administrative costs and variation in insurance premiums. As usual, invite anyone interested, come, buy your coffee and join the discussion. ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mapnp.Geeks.ORG/pipermail/dfledfoundation-announce/attachments/20080503/dd4e6a6a/attachment.html From dfledfoundation-announce at communityforum.net Tue May 6 07:11:43 2008 From: dfledfoundation-announce at communityforum.net (dfledfoundation-announce@communityforum.net) Date: Tue May 6 08:13:18 2008 Subject: [DFLEF] Dedication of Martin Sabo Bridge May 18 Message-ID: Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: application/octet-stream Size: 56979 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mapnp.Geeks.ORG/pipermail/dfledfoundation-announce/attachments/20080506/ea4256ae/image001-0001.obj From dfledfoundation-announce at communityforum.net Thu May 8 07:09:55 2008 From: dfledfoundation-announce at communityforum.net (dfledfoundation-announce@communityforum.net) Date: Thu May 8 08:11:28 2008 Subject: [DFLEF] Downtown Discussion Group Today - May 8, 2008 Message-ID: Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: DFL Ed Fdn Stinson flyer (Farrell), 5-8-08.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 274076 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mapnp.Geeks.ORG/pipermail/dfledfoundation-announce/attachments/20080508/fe2a26bb/DFLEdFdnStinsonflyerFarrell5-8-08-0001.pdf From dfledfoundation-announce at communityforum.net Tue May 27 20:57:53 2008 From: dfledfoundation-announce at communityforum.net (dfledfoundation-announce@communityforum.net) Date: Sun Jun 1 17:04:14 2008 Subject: [DFLEF] To the Point: Restoring the Vision -- Ending Poverty Message-ID: Apple Pie Alliance To the Point! Restoring the Vision: Ending Poverty by Senator John Marty May 27, 2008 Political expectations have slipped in recent decades; people accept things that were once considered unacceptable. Even after last year's tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, there seemed to be only a temporary burst of public outrage over bridges that are so structurally deficient that they are too weak to repair -- bridges that could not withstand the stress of bolting on reinforcement plates. One important area where our society has lowered expectations relates to our acceptance of poverty among working families. It was always part of the American Dream that life would be better for the next generation than for the previous one. "Better off" might be measured in ways other than financial, but few parents in the last couple of generations would have expected that their children would not make enough to pay for food, housing, medical care and other necessities no matter how hard they worked. Yet today, we have many families with full-time workers who are paid too little to make ends meet. At the end of 2007, about half of all job openings in Minnesota were for jobs that paid less than $11 per hour. Economic analysis by the Jobs Now Coalition estimates that for the average family of four, with both parents working, each worker must earn at least $12.24 per hour in order to meet basic needs, which they define as "a 'no frills' standard of living: no money for debt payments, entertainment, restaurant meals, vacation, and nothing is set aside for emergencies, retirement or children's college education." That means more than half of all job openings are for jobs that pay too little for workers to make ends meet, even if both parents are working full time! Remember when one worker could support an entire family on the wages earned as a janitor or a retail clerk or a milk truck driver? The situation is getting worse. According to the state demographer, "The number of Minnesotans in extreme poverty, below 50% of the poverty line, grew from about 154,000 in 2000 to about 194,000 in 2005." One in 27 Minnesotans lives in extreme poverty. Yet despite political promises, some politicians are making the situation worse. This year's budget made significant cuts in health and human services that help poor, sick and disabled people. It cannot be argued that the state is working to ensure that private sector employers pay better wages and provide health benefits to make up for these cuts. If anything, the administration is encouraging the opposite. Last year, when contracting with a private firm to provide food service at the state capitol, the Pawlenty administration selected a company that planned to fire long term employees and replace them with new employees at lower wages and without benefits. The situation is bad and getting worse. Many people are working very hard, but they simply cannot make ends meet for their families. Think how low our expectations have slipped in recent years. We have working people who, at the end of the work day, spend the night on cots in church basements because they cannot afford housing. We have families with two working parents who do not have health insurance because they cannot afford the premiums and co-pays. One mother in northern Minnesota, who has adopted several children with special needs, told me that as they grow up, she hopes to help them learn to be content to be poor because, given her experience, she believes that they will never have the capacity to earn enough to escape poverty! This is not the American Dream. These are not Minnesota values. It is not acceptable to deny our neighbors the basic necessities of life. We must not allow this to be acceptable politics in Minnesota. Two years ago, the legislature created a Commission to End Poverty by 2020, in response to actions taken by people in the faith community. Religious leaders from a wide range of denominations signed a commitment to end poverty, and pushed for creation of the commission. (more information at mnwithoutpoverty.org) It's time to restore a vision of dignity for all. It's time to change public and private sector policies to bring an end to poverty in Minnesota. Senator Marty is co-chair of the Legislative Commission to End Poverty by 2020. _____ To the Point! is published by the Apple Pie Alliance. www.apple-pie.org . If you know others who would enjoy To the Point!, please forward this. Free Subscription Address Change Unsubscribe Permission to quote or reprint is granted if author is credited. Copyright ? Apple Pie Alliance -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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